Johnson and Johnson Vaccine Pause

In accordance with the Federal call to suspend the use of the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine, NYS issued a pause this Wednesday. New York State Health Commissioner, Howard Zucker issued the following statement on the matter:

Legislature Passes Historic $212B Budget

Although a week late, the Senate and Assembly have passed the 2021-21 State Budget that makes historic investments in education, the environment, and economic recovery. The spending plan, which is roughly 10% higher than last year’s budget thanks to federal relief, has resolved to be a light at the end of the tunnel for New York, after months of detrimental budget cuts caused by the COVID-induced $15B budget gap. The Governor has until 4/19 to sign the budget, although it is anticipated that that he will sign much sooner.

State Budget Misses Deadline … not an April Fool’s Joke!

April 1 marks the start of a new fiscal cycle in New York, but as of April 2nd, the final spending plan remains in limbo, as the Legislature and Governor continue to seek common ground on a number of hot-topic proposals. Due to COVID restrictions and the Capitol being closed to the public, the budget negotiation process more opaque than ever with private meetings conducted virtually.

Assembly Legislators Test Positive for COVID

With just a week until the State budget deadline, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Assemblymember Ron Kim both announced that they have each tested positive for COVID-19.

NYC Dining Expands to 35% Capacity

On Friday, Governor Cuomo announced that restaurants in NYC are permitted can increase indoor dining capacity to 35% beginning on February 26th citing the continuing decline in COVID cases post holiday-surge.

Legislature Reacts to AG Report
In response to last week’s NY AG report on COVID-19 nursing home deaths and the alleged under reporting of such by DOH, Senator Liz Kreuger, long-serving Democrat and Chair of the influential Senate Finance Committee, released a statement calling for Cuomo’s broad authority of pandemic decisions to be re-evaluated. The Senator is the first Democratic Legislator to make a public statement on the topic.

Cuomo’s 2021-2022 Executive Budget
On Tuesday, Governor Cuomo released his Executive Budget to “reimagine, rebuild and renew” New York in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Staying on brand, the Governor said the reality of the State’s budget depends on how much aid NY receives from the federal government, particularly from President Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion American Rescue Package.

State of the State Address
This week, Governor Cuomo deviated from his traditional one-day State of the State address and instead, delivered his seven-point plan over the course of four days.

NYS Legislature ‘Gavels In’ for 2021 Session
The New York State Senate and Assembly kicked off the 2021 session on Wednesday, with most members participating virtually and very few members present in the Chambers. In December, the legislature convened briefly to extend the resolution that allows lawmakers to conduct all legislative session and voting procedures remotely through 2021. This rule change was initially implemented in March as a response to the COVID pandemic.

Nurse Receives First Vaccine in NY

On Monday, Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, was the first person in New York to receive Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.